Obituary: James 'Jimmy' Whitlock
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[James William "Jimmy" Whitlock, 45, of Hermitage, Tenn., passed away peacefully on Aug. 22, 2011, at his home in Hermitage after a lengthy battle with kidney cancer.
Jimmy was born on Nov. 18, 1965 at Joliet to parents Jim and Nicki Whitlock and sister Lyndi. A graduate of Harrisburg High School, Jimmy worked as an auditor for Kroger Inc., serving a territory in middle Tennessee and Kentucky. In his early adult years he lived at his mom's home farm near Eldorado, spending many good times at the farm with good buddies: Doug, Trevor, Christina, Deidre, Tony, Stick, Trent, Allen and many other good friends.
After moving to Tennessee, Jim refined his skills as an avid pool player and enjoyed his successful pool teams. In early 2000, he met Misty McDonald and immediately grew to love her daughter, Victoria, as his own. He was very proud of being a father to Victoria and all who knew him can attest to the stories he told of his pride in Victoria's achievements, particularly her school work. He looked forward to her college years. In 2006, the family expanded with the addition of lively new baby, Alexandria Lyn. Alex is a replica image of Jimmy, with a shock of dark hair and a feisty personality and looks that were clearly inherited, loved and nurtured by her daddy. She has the quick wit and flashing eyes of her daddy. Of all his accomplished roles in life, he obviously loved being a father best of all.
Like his dad before him, Jimmy loved long motorcycle rides in the hills of Tennessee, Kentucky and Southern Illinois with his friends and family members. His last cycle was a bright blue Honda VTX, well known to his biking buddies. He had a long list of favorite rides.
Jimmy is survived by his mother, Nicki Whitlock-Watson and stepfather, Don Watson of Eldorado; his daughters, Victoria McDonald and Alexandria Whitlock of Lebanon, Tenn.; his sister, Lyndi Whitlock-Lane and brother-in-law Rich Lane of Shelbyville, Ky.; his dear girlfriend, Lisa Helton of Lebanon, Tenn.; his grandmother, Sibyl Whitlock and his uncle Ben Whitlock of Harrisburg; and his aunts, Kay Whitlock of Chicago and Linda Shakir of Harrisburg. He is also survived by his cousins Kristi Stevens Smith of Harrisburg, Dr. Shariff Shakir of South Bend, Ind. and George Whitlock of Harrisburg.
Jimmy was lovingly and constantly supported throughout his illness by his extended family of close friends and relatives including Doug and Denise Phelps, Missy Martin Mattingly and Trevor and Sandra Hafford. His beloved Dalmatian, Darby, was at his side in his last minutes of life and will be moving to Kentucky to live with Aunt Lyndi's menagerie of trained border collies, clowder of cats, pet raccoon, and, oh yeah, her husband.
Jimmy was preceded in death by his father, Jim Whitlock of Harrisburg, and grandparents Bill and June Roberts of Eldorado and Philip Whitlock of Harrisburg.
Memorials are planned at the following times and locations:
A memorial service will be held for family and friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 3, 2011, at the main pavilion at Karel Park on Karel Park Road in Raleigh.
Victoria's cheerleading team will be participating in his memory in a fundraising cancer run on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011, in Nashville, Tenn.
Jim's riding buddies will host a memorial bike ride of the Natchez Trace on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011, with dear friend, Gary Jones, driving Jim's blue VTX as the lead bike. The ride will end at the favored pool hall, J.O.B's, with a pool tournament in his honor and a fundraiser for the educational trust for Victoria and Alexandria.
Donations may be sent to the James W. Whitlock Trust, established by Jim for the benefit of Alexandria and Victoria, in care of Lyndi Whitlock-Lane, 834 Henry Clay St., Shelbyville, Ky. 40065.
Consistent with Jimmy's direction, his body was donated to the Vanderbilt Medical Center to advance research on renal cell carcinoma and specifically toward early detection of such cancers. The family appreciates the outpouring of affection during Jim's illness, the support and care he received by the medical teams at Vanderbilt Medical Center and the many, many condolence messages received since his passing.
Although we wished for a longer life together and miss him desperately, his was a life well lived and well loved.